BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 13, 2012: Coe, Brothers, and Fort Loop
Trails: Marston Trail, Mt. Coe Trail, South Brother Spur, North Brother Spur, Fort Bushwhack
Summits: Mount Coe, South Brother, North Brother, Fort Mountain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Whichway (Melissa), and me
For some reason, it seems that Maine miles are longer. The specs on this particular hike don’t seem that bad but it’s a full day. We started early and should have got started even earlier. Of the available choices to approach hiking these peaks we decided on a counterclockwise loop from the Slide Dam Trailhead. We had a typical August hot and humid day, which made the hike more of a test than it really needed to be.
Our warm-up was completed on the Marston Trail. From the trailhead to our first turn is an easy 1.2 miles. The trail is generally dry with only one muddy section along the way. We reached the trail junction with Mt. Coe Trail, made the turn and started hiking the loop. From the time we left the trailhead to the junction with Mt. Coe Trail the cloud cover had started to break and we enjoyed periods of sun and the heat that came with it.
Our first target for the day was Mt. Coe. After leaving Marston Trail, the Mt. Coe Trail climbs at a moderate rate along generally clear conditions with a couple small sections of mud to the bottom of the Mt. Coe Slide and junction with the OJI Link Trail. Then, it goes vertical and climbs to the top of the slide. The Coe Slide is generally clear slabs. There were areas of water on the slabs that needed to be avoided. We all made it to the top of the slide without a problem. As we were passing the junction with the OJI Link Trail, Sue commented she heard voices in the direction of OJI, but then did not hear them again. When we reached the top of the slide we could see others on the summit of OJI. I took pictures thinking they were probably part of our general group and it turns out it was Streve and Amicus along with two others that arrived to the summit shortly after.
We continued above the slide to the summit and found terrific views waiting there. The summit clearing isn’t big but it offers 360 degree views. After relaxing on the summit for a while we were off to our second target for the day; South Brother.
We started the hike to South Brother with a short and steep descent from Coe and then the route moderated. It was a pleasant walk through fairly thick growth but the trail corridor was brushed out in good shape and there was nearly no mud along the way. The high humidity and heat from the day was really doing a job on me. I was working hard to stay hydrated and digging into the energy snacks to help keep my fuel level where it needed to be. South Brother was only #2 of 4 and the really tough part of the day was coming up. With lots of stops we finally made it to the South Brother Spur generally still on plan. The day was actually going a lot better than it felt. We made the turn and started up the final climb to the summit. Reaching the summit we found Amy and Glen already there. They followed a different route over Coe to S. Brother and were calling it a day.
We visited for a while, got our usual summit pictures, and set off for North Brother and Fort Mountain. After descending the S. Brother summit spur we had a very mild hike to the Mt. Coe – Marston trails upper junction. From there we found a very tight trail leading to North Brother. From the condition of the trail it almost seems it has been abandoned; the brush is really taking over much of the final .8 miles to the summit and there are multiple blowdowns that need attention along the way. Some trail maintenance is needed on this section. The .8 miles includes ~700 feet of elevation; I had my hands full. My hiking partners were patient with me and we continued to stay focused on our objectives (two down, two to go). The pace had slowed but we were making progress and we still had plenty of day left for the hike. We managed to reach the summit of N. Brother only ~50 minutes over book time; all things considered – not bad but really hard work.
The fun was getting ready to start. In the distance to the northeast was Fort Mountain, our forth and final target.
According to the Maine Mountain Guide:
“The best and easiest route to Fort Mountain is a trail leading left into the brush from the summit of North Brother. This trail is rough, unmarked, and obliterated in sections by blow-down trees.”
They’re sugar coating it; it’s dense conifers all the way across with a couple small sections where the trees open up a little and provide brief relief.
We located a couple cairns off to the left of the North Brother summit and after setting a bearing on my compass (just in case), we took off. In a short time we were diving into the thick conifers. If you move slowly, watch carefully, and are really patient, you can follow this trail between North Brother and Fort. We made only one small error in each direction (to Fort and back to North Brother). Each error was recognized almost immediately and corrections made. We lost a lot of time on the round trip hike to Fort Mountain taking twice the amount of time expected. Along the way I started thinking about the condition of Marston Trail leading to North Brother and decided it is in this condition as a preview of what to expect on the hike to Fort.
Back on North Brother we stopped for a few minutes to relax and refresh a little. Soon it was time for the exit hike part of our day. It was late afternoon and we had 4.5 miles back to the trailhead.
We worked our way down from N. Brother to the upper junction with Mt. Coe Trail. Even though we had gravity working with us on the descent it was still a little unpleasant; some brush needs to go. We made the turn to stay on Marston Trail and followed it back past the lower junction with Mt. Coe Trail and on to the trailhead. A little under a mile from the trailhead we pulled out the headlights – we ran out of daylight. From there to the truck was a mild cool-down lap. Sue and Melissa were both in great shape. Going from N. Brother to Fort, and back is a bushwhack that shouldn’t be done in shorts. I was wearing shorts, Sue and Melissa had long pants. I ended the day with a lot of blood on both legs (a fall I took on the final Marston segment added to the mess). As the man said – you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
The day would have been better with a little less heat and humidity, but it was still a good day and a terrific start.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Marston Trail, Mt. Coe Trail, South Brother Spur, North Brother Spur, Fort Bushwhack
Summits: Mount Coe, South Brother, North Brother, Fort Mountain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Whichway (Melissa), and me
For some reason, it seems that Maine miles are longer. The specs on this particular hike don’t seem that bad but it’s a full day. We started early and should have got started even earlier. Of the available choices to approach hiking these peaks we decided on a counterclockwise loop from the Slide Dam Trailhead. We had a typical August hot and humid day, which made the hike more of a test than it really needed to be.
Our warm-up was completed on the Marston Trail. From the trailhead to our first turn is an easy 1.2 miles. The trail is generally dry with only one muddy section along the way. We reached the trail junction with Mt. Coe Trail, made the turn and started hiking the loop. From the time we left the trailhead to the junction with Mt. Coe Trail the cloud cover had started to break and we enjoyed periods of sun and the heat that came with it.
Our first target for the day was Mt. Coe. After leaving Marston Trail, the Mt. Coe Trail climbs at a moderate rate along generally clear conditions with a couple small sections of mud to the bottom of the Mt. Coe Slide and junction with the OJI Link Trail. Then, it goes vertical and climbs to the top of the slide. The Coe Slide is generally clear slabs. There were areas of water on the slabs that needed to be avoided. We all made it to the top of the slide without a problem. As we were passing the junction with the OJI Link Trail, Sue commented she heard voices in the direction of OJI, but then did not hear them again. When we reached the top of the slide we could see others on the summit of OJI. I took pictures thinking they were probably part of our general group and it turns out it was Streve and Amicus along with two others that arrived to the summit shortly after.
We continued above the slide to the summit and found terrific views waiting there. The summit clearing isn’t big but it offers 360 degree views. After relaxing on the summit for a while we were off to our second target for the day; South Brother.
We started the hike to South Brother with a short and steep descent from Coe and then the route moderated. It was a pleasant walk through fairly thick growth but the trail corridor was brushed out in good shape and there was nearly no mud along the way. The high humidity and heat from the day was really doing a job on me. I was working hard to stay hydrated and digging into the energy snacks to help keep my fuel level where it needed to be. South Brother was only #2 of 4 and the really tough part of the day was coming up. With lots of stops we finally made it to the South Brother Spur generally still on plan. The day was actually going a lot better than it felt. We made the turn and started up the final climb to the summit. Reaching the summit we found Amy and Glen already there. They followed a different route over Coe to S. Brother and were calling it a day.
We visited for a while, got our usual summit pictures, and set off for North Brother and Fort Mountain. After descending the S. Brother summit spur we had a very mild hike to the Mt. Coe – Marston trails upper junction. From there we found a very tight trail leading to North Brother. From the condition of the trail it almost seems it has been abandoned; the brush is really taking over much of the final .8 miles to the summit and there are multiple blowdowns that need attention along the way. Some trail maintenance is needed on this section. The .8 miles includes ~700 feet of elevation; I had my hands full. My hiking partners were patient with me and we continued to stay focused on our objectives (two down, two to go). The pace had slowed but we were making progress and we still had plenty of day left for the hike. We managed to reach the summit of N. Brother only ~50 minutes over book time; all things considered – not bad but really hard work.
The fun was getting ready to start. In the distance to the northeast was Fort Mountain, our forth and final target.
According to the Maine Mountain Guide:
“The best and easiest route to Fort Mountain is a trail leading left into the brush from the summit of North Brother. This trail is rough, unmarked, and obliterated in sections by blow-down trees.”
They’re sugar coating it; it’s dense conifers all the way across with a couple small sections where the trees open up a little and provide brief relief.
We located a couple cairns off to the left of the North Brother summit and after setting a bearing on my compass (just in case), we took off. In a short time we were diving into the thick conifers. If you move slowly, watch carefully, and are really patient, you can follow this trail between North Brother and Fort. We made only one small error in each direction (to Fort and back to North Brother). Each error was recognized almost immediately and corrections made. We lost a lot of time on the round trip hike to Fort Mountain taking twice the amount of time expected. Along the way I started thinking about the condition of Marston Trail leading to North Brother and decided it is in this condition as a preview of what to expect on the hike to Fort.
Back on North Brother we stopped for a few minutes to relax and refresh a little. Soon it was time for the exit hike part of our day. It was late afternoon and we had 4.5 miles back to the trailhead.
We worked our way down from N. Brother to the upper junction with Mt. Coe Trail. Even though we had gravity working with us on the descent it was still a little unpleasant; some brush needs to go. We made the turn to stay on Marston Trail and followed it back past the lower junction with Mt. Coe Trail and on to the trailhead. A little under a mile from the trailhead we pulled out the headlights – we ran out of daylight. From there to the truck was a mild cool-down lap. Sue and Melissa were both in great shape. Going from N. Brother to Fort, and back is a bushwhack that shouldn’t be done in shorts. I was wearing shorts, Sue and Melissa had long pants. I ended the day with a lot of blood on both legs (a fall I took on the final Marston segment added to the mess). As the man said – you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.
The day would have been better with a little less heat and humidity, but it was still a good day and a terrific start.
Pictures will follow.
